ON A SAD NOTE:
July 13th, Bill Coberly from Bakersfield, CA, longtime inboard racer and vintage member passed away. Bill owned both outboard racers and inboards, most recently the restored vintage 225 ci. hydro, Thundershower.

CHALLENGES: Dennis Bowsher has issued us a challenge. Can anyone give us owner, driver and boat names to match these boats? The photo was taken in Kankakee, IL circa 1930 to 1940. Contact me.

RACE SITES:
 September 30  Wolfeboro, NH: New Hampshire Vintage Raceboat Regatta sponsored by the NH Antique Classic Boat Museum will have static displays and flybys. Contact Hank Way (603) 524-8989.

GET WELL SOON: Steve Jones of Myrtle Beach, SC is on the mend from open-heart surgery. He is now home and doing well. 
 Joe Kreitzer is in a nursing home hopefully for a short time. He is not a happy camper. He could sure use some cheering up. His address is Walnut Creek Nursing Center 5070 Lamme Road Kettering, OH 45439.

BOB SILVA’S WEST COAST REPORT:
1st Annual California Boat Racer’s Reunion October 14, 2000 to be held at the National Hot Rod Association Museum 1101 W. McKinley Ave, Bldg. 3-A Pomona, CA. Festivities start at 10 am in the morning. Richard Parks, whose father Wally Parks founded the NHRA and co-founded Hot Rod Magazine in the 1950's, will host the event, along with Don Edwards. Edwards owned/drove the record setting drag hydro, GOLDEN KOMOTION from 1965-68.
The reunion is open to all boat racers, crews, fans and spectators and will feature 40 racing boats on display. The non-profit event welcomes volunteers and encourages attendees to bring their old photos and memorabilia to share. You must order tickets ahead of time. For more information contact: Richard Parks, 714-963-2409.
I just received my copy of Speed & Spray: The Art of Bob Carver. Wow! What a wonderful book with over 90 pages of peak action outboard, limited inboard and unlimited racing photographs. Photojournalist Rusty Rae wrote the text, researched the facts and did a great job printing the photos from Carver's negatives. Bob Carver, who passed away at age 63 in 1981, spent 33 years photographing boat-racing action  (many times at risk to his life).
Most of the photos cover racing in the Northwest (region 10) but Unlimited action also ventures out of region to Lake Mead, NV. If you're looking for limited class flatbottom racing, such as: Super Stock, Crackerbox or even the old ERR's, you won't find any in this book. There are a few shots of outboard runabouts, but mostly, this is hydroplane country.
Imagine yourself sitting on an inner tube, holding a flag, posing as one of the turn buoys and you'll get an idea of just how close Carver's photos are to the action. Many of the shots are from the 1950's and 60's so there are no full-face helmets to hide the driver's expressions. There is a fantastic photo of Californian; Bud Wiget squeezing past a buoy that is so clear and so close that you can see the hands on his wristwatch! Then, you flip the book's page and another Carver shot jumps out at you with equal intensity.
What struck me was not only Bob Carver's masterful eye for composition (and his bravery) but also his sensitivity to the more subtle moments. You can feel the sadness of Seattle fans as they file past the wrecked remains of SLO-MO-SHUN IV on view at a local TV station; the anxiety of three drivers sitting in their 280's waiting for the 5-minute gun; a quiet little pit scene, dated by the long hair and bell-bottom pants from the early 1970's.
Bob Carver had an uncanny ability to be at the right place for catching the racing crashes. There are crash scenes aplenty from over the years of racing action. When Carver put down his heavy Speed Graphic 4 X 5 and picked up a motorized Nikon, he was able to capture sequenced blow overs as well. Some of my favorite photos in this book are of the outboard racing on the Sammamish Sloughs, where drivers had to negotiate both left and right hand turns. The reactions of the spectators to the near misses are captivating.
The Unlimited hydros were a Bob Carver specialty and some of these great pictures I recall seeing in 1960's and 70's boat racing magazines. The photos of the big hydros show them in all their glory; with huge roostertails, prop walking on glassy waters and hooking in the turns. A horrific 1962 Gold Cup crash photo reminds one of just how dangerous these open cockpit boats were. Speed & Spray: The Art of Bob Carver is available through Seattle's, Hydroplane and Race Boat Museum.

DETROIT REPORT:
The vintage race boats that participated in Detroit certainly enjoyed plenty of water time and put on a great show. Special thanks goes out to the New Hampshire contingent (Blueberry Hill Racing team) for their combined support in making the 2000 show very special. The stars of the show were the Gold Cup class racers: Jeff Magnuson’s Miss America VII and Arab VI; Jerry Davidson’s Miss Severn; Arnie Rubenstein’s Wood Too; Bill John’s Obsession; Norman Gaven’s Adieau and Dwight Morin’s Little Miss Pepsi. Combined with a nice fleet of inboard hydroplanes Bill Mehan’s Tipback, Joe Sulky’s Big Joe, Hal LeDuc’s Opechee, Ron Taylor’s Yellow Streak, and John Cotton ‘s Sorceress. On static display was Skip Gabler with his championship offshore racer Short Circuit and Scott Gabler’s outboard hydroplane Lil Scooter. 
 Dwight Morin make a special effort to bring his Lil Miss Pepsi to this year’s event, honoring the 50 year celebration of the Dossin’s entry in hydroplane racing with the last Miss Pepsi now on display at the Dossin Museum.
 Detroit Racing Legend, Danny Foster was admiring the vintage boats and when asked if he ever had driven anything like these raceboats. He told us “Yes, the Delphine IX was a lot like the Miss America. The Delphine IX had a bow rudder and he couldn’t turn it. He raced on the Ohio River against Miss Pepsi.” 
 The pits had a steady stream of fans anxious to take pictures of the glistening mahogany speedsters of the past. They were also eager to ask many questions about the Rolls Royce Meteor engines and the installations. Many rides were given to friends and fans, including a Wertz Warriors charity auction ride in the Miss America VII spearheaded by Chuck Holmes. The Saturday ride on the Gold Cup course went for close to $1,000, all for a good cause.

©2000 Tom D'Eath